Load divider suspension



' swt 2g, W65 G. iw. MAGARIAN ETAL 3,208,403

` LOAD DIVIDER SUSPENSION Filed Aug. 26. 1963 5 rfga. a@

3&1

@man M MAaAQ/m 10h01. .2'. Anas/$5016 INVENTORS States The presentinvention relates to load dividers in the form of movable gates orbulkheads for containers such as vans or freight cars, and hasparticularly to do with the suspension of such elements. The inventionwill be here described in the illustrative form of a suspension forswinging divider gates, but it will be apparent how the improvedsuspension, here described typically as applied to a longitudinallytravelling transverse overhead beam structure, may be used as suspensionfor other types of gates. For example, such transverse longitudinallytravelling beam structures have been used for suspending gates hinged onhorizontal axes at their upper edges to such a beam and movable againsta car end-wall or swingable up against the ceiling of a car or the like;and also for centrally swivelly suspending a gate. The present improvedsuspension is here described as suspending a gate of the former type,but without necessary limitation thereto.

The general type of suspension on which` the present invention is animprovement involves a transverse beam structure made up of a beammember or clement supported on a transverse squaring shaft havinggear-like sprockets at its ends riding longitudinal rack-formationrails. The present improvement has mainly to do with an improvedstructure in which the transverse beam structure and the squaring shaftare dropped to a level below the rails for the purpose of allowing spaceunder eg.

atene if 3,2%,4ll3 Patented Sept. 28, 1965 two rows may merge laterally,as their spacings may preferably be one a multpile of the other.Supporting rollers a car ceiling for certain installations such as aflow duct. t

It is desirable to position the rails as high as practicable under a carceiling so as not to interfere with car loading, and the presentinvention drops the squaring shaft and the transverse beam structurebelow such high-positioned rails.

The characteristics of the invention will be best understood from thefollowing description of typical and illus trative embodiments, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation showing an illustrative suspen sion;

FIG. 2 is an enlargement of a portion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2a is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing a preferred variant; andFIG. 2b shows a further variant; and

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIG. l, but showing the gate swung tohorizontal position Linder a car ceiling.

FIG. 1 shows two longitudinal overhead rails 20 lying directly under theceiling structure 22, secured to and depending from that structure onthe spaced brackets 21. In the figure the suspended gate 24 is shown asa halfwidth gate adapted to extend transversely from a car side wall 26to approximately the car center designated CL in the figure.Consequently the right hand rail 20 in FIG. 1 is located close to thatcenter line, and the structure here Shown would be duplicated at theother side of CL. It will be understood however that such right handrail can be mounted under the ceiling near the opposite side wall andthat gate 24 and the suspension beam structure can be correspondinglyincreased in their transverse dimensions to make gate 24 one of fullwidth.

Each rail 20 has a single horizontal flange 30 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) whichhas a longitudinal rack-like series of spaced apertures 32; and, for theform of gate suspension here illustratively shown, also a longitudinalseries of spaced locking apertures 34. The apertures of these l thereon.

36, mounted on stub shafts at the upper ends of plate-like end members38, of the beam structure, ride the upper faces of flanges 30. Those endmembers 38 extend down to a level below flanges 30 and, at their lowerends are secured as by welding to the ends of beam member 40. A squaringshaft 42 is journaled near its ends in suitable bearings in end plates3S and at its ends outside those plates carries gear-like sprocketrollers 44 whose teeth ride in the rack openings 32 from underneathflange 30. That fact places squaring shaft spacedly below the railflanges. Beam member 40, as here shown lies entirely under the squaringshaft 42. Although it could be of such sectional form as to extend overthat shaft it is here preferred not to do so in order to keep theclearance of the whole beam structure under the car ceiling as large aspracticable, to clear such an element as the flow duct indicated at D,without having to further lower the squaring shaft.

As shownlillustratively here, beam member 40 is of general box-typewelded to the two end plates 38 so that the beam member 40 is rigidlycarried by those plates and rollers 36.

As previously indicated, gate 24 is here shown suspended from beammember 49 by a hinge formation 60 on an axis parallel to the undersideof 40 to be swung up under the ceiling. FIG. 3 shows the gate swung tohorizontal position, where it can be secured by latch means of anydesired type. In its vertical operating position, or for stowing thegate against the car end wall, the gate is locked to upper rails 20 byprojectible and retractable pins 74, and to lower floor rails 810 bysimilar pins 82, the pins entering longitudinally spaced perforations 34in the rail flanges. The locking pins may be projected and retracted bysuitable mechanism, such as double throw cranks 62 on a shaft 64 andcoupled to the several locking pins by linkages 66, shaft 64 beingoperated by manual handle 68.

FIG. 2a shows further preferred details for the form shown in FIG. 2.The forms of FIG. 2a have mainly to do with the supporting roller 36,the sprocket roller 44, and their cooperation with the rail flange 30and with each other.

In FIG. 2a supporting roller 36a has two axially spaced flange-ridingflanges 36h and 36e with an annular relief 36d between them. Flange 36bis peripherally formed, as shown, to ride the curved edge of rail flange30. Roller flange 36C rides rail flange 30 outside the row of rackperforations 32-that is, at the side of those perforations opposite tothe rail flange edge-with the relief at 36d over those perforations toallow the sprocket teeth of sprocket roller 44a to project up above theupper face of rail flange 30.

Sprocket roller 44a on squaring shaft 42 has a flange 44b at its innerend of suflcient radial depth to overlie the projecting edge of rollerflange 36h, as shown in the figure. A spring 42a may press sprocketroller 44a outwardly on shaft 42, that roller being splined to the shaftas indicated. The spring presses sprocket roller flange 44b againstsupporting roller flange 3611, holding the latter against the edge ofrail flange 30. However the spring is not essential; registration of thesprocket teeth with the rack perforations holds the flange of thesprocket roller over against the supporting roller. Supporting roller36a is axially slidable on its stub shaft 38a as well as rotatable Thestructure of FIG. 2a is desirable for at least one end of the beammember 40 and squaring shaft 42. The described arrangement takes care ofvarying distances between the two ceiling rails 20, and keeps bothrollers 36a and 44a in proper alinement with the rails and their rackperforations 32.

In the described arrangements the rail flanges 30 project horizontallytoward each other and the sprocket rollers 44 are mounted on squaringshaft 42 outside the terminal elements 3S. But those rail flanges mayproject away from each other as indicated in the variant of FIG. 2b at30a. ln this variant terminal elements 33a, mounted on the ends of beammember 40 as before, lie outside rail flanges 30a and the stub shaft forsupporting roller 36a projects inwardly from element 38a. Sprocketroller 44 and squaring shaft 42 are mounted and cooperate with the railflange as before. In this variant form locking pins 74a may preferablybe located in a plane spaced from the vertical plane of 40, 42, that notbeing necessary in the form of FIGS. l and 2.

In thc following claims the term load dividing gate is to be taken asincluding any compartment partition such as a gate, bulkhead, etc.

We claim:

ll. A suspension for a load dividing gate in a compartment, comprisingin combination,

a pair of overhead longitudinally and laterally spaced rails withhorizontally projecting flanges having longitudinally extendingrack-like formations,

a gate supporting beam structure comprising a transversely extendingbeam element adapted for gate support,

upwardly extending terminal elements at the ends of the beam element,

supporting rollers mounted on the upper ends of said terminal elementsand riding the upper faces of said rail flanges,

a transversely extending squaring shaft journaled at its end portions insaid terminal elements effectively above said gate supporting beamelement and below said rail flanges,

and sprocket rollers rotatively secured on the end portions of saidsquaring shaft riding the lower faces of said rail flanges and engagingtheir rack-like formations from below the llanges.

2. The combination of claim Il and in which said rail flanges projecthorizontally toward each other,

and said sprocket rollers are secured to the ends of the squaring shaftoutside said terminal elements.

3. The combination of claim 1 and in which said rail anges projecthorizontally away from each other,

and said sprocket rollers are secured to the end portions of saidsquaring shaft inside said terminal elements.

4. The combination defined in claim 1 and including a gate supported onsaid beam element,

and gate locking means carried bythe gate and lockingly engaging saidrail flanges.

5. The combination defined in claim l and in which atleast one of saidsupporting rollers is movable axially with reference to the terminalelement on which it is mounted and has a peripheral ilange adapted tocontact the edge of the rail flange,

and said sprocket roller which rides the same rail flange has aperipheral flange adapted to bear against the supporting roller flangeto press it against the rail flange edge,

said sprocket roller being axially movable on the squarng shaft.

6. The combination dened in claim 5 and also including a spring tendingto press the sprocket roller flange against the supporting rollerflange.

7. The combination defined in claim 5 and in which said supportingroller flange is located at one axial end of the supporting roller andincludes a portion riding the upper face of the rail llange adjacent therail flange edge,

and said supporting roller also has at its other axial end anotherflange riding the upper face of said railA site faces of the same railaremovable axially with re spect to the beam structure and haverespective peripheral roller flanges,

one of said roller tlanges being adapted to Contact the edge of 4therail flange, and the other of said roller flanges being adapted toguidingly engage the roller that has said one roller flange,

and means yieldingly urging the roller that has said other roller flangein a direction to maintain said one roller flange in contact with theedge of the rail flange.

9. A suspension for a load dividing gate in a compartment, comprising incombination,

a pair of overhead longitudinally and laterally spaced rails withhorizontally projecting flanges having longitudinally extendingrack-like formations,

supporting rollers riding the upper faces of the rail flanges, I

means supporting the gate from said rollers with the upper edge of thegate below said llanges,

a laterally extending squaring shaft located below said flanges andmounted in bearings associated. with said supporting means,

and sprockets on the ends of the squaring shaft riding the lower facesof the rail flanges and engaging their rack-like formation from below.

10. A suspension for a load dividing gate in a compartment, comprisingin combination suspension structure including;

a pair of fixed overhead longitudinally extending and laterally spacedsuspension members provided with upper riding surfaces and withlongitudinally extending rack-like formations in their lower surfaces,

supporting rollers riding the upper surfaces of said members,

a laterally extending squaring shaft -located below the lower surfacesof said members and supported rotatively from said rollers,

and sprockets rotatively fixed to the ends of said squaring shaft andriding the rack-like formations of said members from below their lowersurfaces;

and means suspending the gate from said suspension structure.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,017,842 1/62Nampa 105--376 4/62 yShaver 10S-376y

10. A SUSPENSION FOR A LOAD DIVIDING GATE IN A COMPARTMENT, COMPRISINGIN COMBINATION SUSPENSION STRUCTURE INCLUDING; A PAIR OF FIXED OVERHEADLONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING AND LATERALLY SPACED SUSPENSION MEMBERSPROVIDED WITH UPPER RIDING SURFACES AND WITH LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDINGRACK-LIKE FORMATIONS IN THEIR LOWER SURFACES SUPPORTING ROLLERS RIDINGTHE UPPER SURFACES OF SAID MEMBERS, A LATERALLY EXTENDING SQUARING SHAFTLOCATED BELOW THE LOWER SURFACES OF SAID MEMBERS AND SUPPORTEDROTATIVELY FROM SAID ROLLERS, AND SPROCKETS ROTATIVELY FIXED TO THE ENDSOF SAID SQUARING SHAFTS AND RIDING THE RACE-LIKE FORMATIONS OF SAIDMEMBERS FROM BELOW THEIR LOWE SURFACES; AND MEANS SUSPENDING THE GATEFROM SAID SUSPENSION STRUCTURE.